Cultivator.



No. 811,133. PATE NTED JAN. 30, 1906.

J. M. DONALDSON. GULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APE-29,1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 No. 811,133. PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906. J. M. DONALDSON. UULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1905.

' a SHEETS-SHBET 2.

Attorn No. 811,133. PATENTED JAN.,30, 1906.

J. M. DONALDSON.

GULTIVATOR. AP PLIOATION FILED APR. 29, 1905.

3 BHBETS-SHEET 3.

Witnesses rms.

Uri-Wars.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented J an. 30, 1906.

Application filed Apri1 29,1905' Serial No. 258,059-

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that l, JAMES M. DONALDSON, a citizenof the United States, residing at Ma rengo, in the county of Iowa and State of Iowa, have invented anew and useful Cultivator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to riding-cultivators; and it has for its object to simplify and improve the construction and operation of this class of machines. x 1

. Otherobjects of the invention are to shorten the cultivator-gangs so as'to make the machine compact and to adapt it to operate at an equal depth in rolling land; to provide for the vertical adjustment of the cultivator-gangs'in such a manner that the front and the rear ends of 1 said gangs shall receive equal adjustment in place of merely tilting the rear ends, as is commonly done; to provide simple means for the lateral adjustment of the cultivator -gangs while the machine is in operation, and toprovide improved supporting means for the fen- 2 5 vention is better understood, the same consists der. I

With these and other ends in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the inin the improved construction and novel arrangementand combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully describedya'nd particularly pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings has beenillustrated a simple and preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made tothe precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes and alterations of various kinds may bemade within the scope of theinvention an'd without departing from the principles of the invention.

' tivator-gangs.

the spirit or sacrificing, the eficiency of the 4o same.

lin said drawings, Figure 1 is atop plan view of a cultivator constructed in accordance with Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear view. Fig. 1. is a perspective detail view of the laterallyadjustable sup- 5 of reference. 1

The frame of the improved cultivator is preferably rectangular in shape, and it comprises side members 1 1, supported upon an arched axle 2 and connected at their front and rear ends by'cross-pieces 3 and 4c, the latter of which supportsa seat 5. The axle is provided in the usual manner with spindles 6, upon which the supporting-wheels 7 are mounted for rotation. Obliquely-disposed brace-bars 8 8 connect the side members 1 with the front member3 of the frame, said braces being conbetween which a tongue or draft member 12' journaled at the. upper corners of an arch frame A, which may be described as including a top bar 1 1 and upright side members 15, said side members being connected below the top bar 1 1 by a transverse member or cross-bar 16, equipped with rollers 17, hearing against the under side of the axle, with which the traveling arch-frame is thus connected, the rollers or wheelsbeing preferably annularly grooved to engage the axle, as will be readily understood.

Upon the front cross-bar of the machine is mounted a traveling carrier-frame F, (see Fig. 4,) said frame including a pairof blocks 18, having forwardly-extending arms 19 constituting ,clevises, which straddle the cross-bar 3 and between which are journaled rollers 20, engaging the front side of said cross-bar. The blocks 18 are provided. with transverse apertures 21, through which extend the ends, of a connecting-bar 22, upon which the said blocks are adjustably secured, as by means of set: screws 23. Said blocks are also provided with vertical apertures. 24: for the passage of the front ends of the cultivator-beams, aswill be presently more fully described.

The cultivator-beams, which are generally designated C, are compound beams, preferably constructed of metal and including bars and braces suitably connected and spaced and provided with suitably-disposed standards 25,

carrying the earth-engaging blades 26. Said cultivator-beams also include the forwardly and upwardly extending members 27, having here, such as nuts 28, for the purpose of limiting their vertical movement as may be desired. The compound cultivator-beams also include loop members 29, which are adjustably connected with said beams, as by means of bolts 30,having adjusting-nuts 31, whereby the rear ends of the cultivator beams or gangs may be laterally adjusted and spaced at various distances apart. The front ends of the cultivator beams or gangs maybe spaced apart at various distances by properly adjusting the blocks 18 upon the connectingbar 22.

Supported for oscillation in bearings 32 upon the side members 1 of the frame are rock-shafts 33, each of which is provided with a pair of downward-extending arms 34 and 35, the latter located in advance of the former, and each of said arms being connected with the cultivator-beams C by means of links 36. The rock-shafts 33 are also provided with lateral inwardly-extending arms 37, the latter having been shown as integral with the arms 34, so as to constitute bell-cranks. Said arms 37 are connected by links 38 with foot-levers 39, the front ends of which are curved upwardly and are flexibly connected, as by means of links or eyes 40, with the under side of the connecting-bar 22' of the laterally-traveling frame F. It will be readily seen that the operatoroccupying the seat 5 and placing his feet upon the foot-levers 39 may very conveniently operate the latter to oscillate the rock-shafts 33, thus causing the cultivatorgangs and related parts, including the archframe A and the traveling frame F, to move laterally to either side of the machine, where the said cultivator-gangs andmelated parts will be readily held or retained in adjusted position without exertion on the part of the operator. This lateral adjustability of the plow-gangs and related parts is very desirable and of great utility not only in cultivating on the level where the rows of plants happen to be more or less uneven, but especially for hillside work, where any tendency for the machine to slide downhill may be very quickly corrected by proper manipulation of the plowgang, while any tendency on the part of the team to pull out of line may be likewise very quickly corrected by properly adjusting the plow-gangs. thus bringing about a side draft 1which will quickly swing the team back into me. i

For the vertical adjustment of the plowgangs the arch-frameA is provided with seg mental toothed bracket members 41, concentrically upon which are pivoted, bell-crank levers B, having upwardly-extending arms constituting handles 42, which are provided with suitably-operated stop members 43, engaging the segment-racks for the purpose of retaining at various adjustments the said bellcrank levers, the forwardly-extending arms of which, 44, are connected with the cultivator-gangs by means of links 45, which are connected about centrally of the gangs, so that the lattermay be bodily adjusted in a vertical plane by means of said bell-crank levers, the front ends 27 of the gangs being slidable, as hereinbefore described, in the apertures 24 of the block 18, while the guideloops 29 upon the sides of the cultivatorbeams are in like manne-r-slidable upon the vertical side members15 of the arch-frame A. The plow-gangs, as'will be seen, are capable of being vertically adjusted independ ently of one another, which is sometimes partlixcularly desirable, especially for hillside wor l A fender 46 is provided,-the same consisting of a curved shield of inverted-U-shaped cross-section, the front end of said shield being connected by a draft-bar 47 with the connecting-bar 22 of the frame F. The rear end of the shield is connected, by means of a chain or other flexible connecting element 48, with one arm of a bell-crank lever 49, which is fulcru med upon a bracket 50, connected with the arch-frame A, the other arm 51 of said bellcrank lever constituting a handle which is provided with a suitably-operated stop member 52, engaging a segment-rack 53 upon the bracket 50, thus retaining the bell-crank lever and the fender, which is connected therewith, in any position to which said parts may be adjusted. The fender 46 is provided at its front end with outturned flanges, as 54, so as to give it additional width to straddle the hills of corn. The rear edges ofthe shield or fender are likewise curved outwardly somewhat into the shape of the moldboard of a plow for the purpose of pushing aside from the young plants any stones, clods, or other obstructions that may exhibit a tendency to roll in the direction thereof. For the purpose of providing for the vertical adjustment of the fender to any desired initial position the arch-frame A or thecross-bar 16 of said arch frame is provided with a depending bracket member 56, having flanges 5'7, each provided with a plurality of apertures 58. The fender 46 is provided at its rear end with an upstanding lug 59, with which is connected an arm 60, provided at its upper end with flanges 61, fitting between the flanges 57, and provided with slots 62, engaging a transverse pin 63, which is adjusted in a pair of the apertures 58 in the flanges 57. The downward movement of the fender is thereby limited and determined; but in the event of obstructions being encountered the said fender is capable of riding over said obstructions by reason of the slots 62 engaging the pin 63, as will be very readily understood.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of this invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

The general construction of the improved cultivator is simple and inexpensive. The cultivator-gangs are shorter than is ordinarily thecase, thus producing a light draft and much facilitating the adjustment of said gangs in various directions, and consequently much depth, which is not possible or practical when, as is usually the case, the vertical adjustment of the cultivators is accomplished by merely tilting the beams or gangs.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In a riding-cultivator, a Wheel-supported arched axle, a frame supported upon said axle and having afront cross-bar, a traveling frame engaging said cross-bar and including clevisblocks having wheels engagingthe cross-bar, a connecting-bar upon which said clevis-blocks are adjustably mounted, and securing means for said blocks; the latter being provided with vertical apertures in which the front ends of thecultivator-gangs are movably supported.

1 2, In a riding-cultivator, an arched wheelsupported axle, a frame supported upon said axle and having a cross-bar, atraveling frame including a pair of ad justably-connected clevisblocks having vertical apertures and provided with rollers engaging the cross-bar of the main frame, a traveling arch-frame supported upon the axle-arch and having depending vertical members, cultivator-gangs having upwardly and forwardly extended front ends movable in. the vertical apertures of the clevis-blocks of the traveling frame, and loop members adjustably connected with the cultivator-gangs and slidably engaging the vertical members of the traveling arch'frame.

3. In a riding-cultivator, the combination with suitable supporting means, of a plurality of laterally-movable frames, cultivator-gangs engaging said frames for bodily vertical adjustment, and means for effecting lateral adjustment of the frames and cutivator -gangs.

t. In a riding-cultivator, the combination with suitable supporting means, of a plurality of laterally-movable frames, cultivator-gangs engaging said frames for bodily vertical adjustment, means supported upon one of said frames for efiecting such vertical adjustment, and means for effecting lateral adjustment of the frames and cultivator-gangs.

5. In a riding-cultivator,a main supportingframe, rock-shaftssupported for oscillation upon the side members of said frame, each of said rock-shafts being provided with a plurali-ty of depending arms, a plurality of laterally-movable frames, cultivator-gangs engaging said frames for bodily vertical adjustment,

links connecting the arms depending from the.

rock-shafts with the cultivator-gangs, and means for oscillating the rock-shafts.

6. In a riding-cultivator, a main supportingframe, rock-shafts supported for oscillation upon the side members of said frame each of said rock-shafts being provided with a plurality of depending arms and with a lateral inwardly-extending arm, a plurality of laterally-movable frames, cultivator-gangs engaging said frames for bodily vertical adjustment,

links connecting the arms depending from the rock-shafts with the cultivator-gangs, footlevers connected with one of the laterallymovable frames, and links connecting said foot-levers with the lateral inwardly-extend ing arms of the rock-shafts.

7. In a riding-cultivator,a main supportingframe, rock-shafts supported foroscillation upon the side members of said frame each of said rock-shafts being provided with a plurality of depending arms, a plurality of laterally-movable frames, cultivator-gangs engaging said frames for bodily vertical adjustment, links connecting the arms depending from the rock-shafts with the cultivator-gangs, means for eflecting lateral adjustment of the cultivator gangs with relation to the laterallymovable frames, and means for oscillating the rock-shafts.

8. In a riding-cultivator, an arch-ed axle and a main frame supported thereon, a laterallymovable arch-frame supported upon the axlearch, a laterally-movable traveler-framesup ported upon the main frame and including a pair of clevis-blocks and a connectingbar with which said clevis-blocks are adjustably connected, cultivator-gangs having upwardly- 

